THREE POSITIVE CHANGES TAKE PLACE IN CHINA'S BANKING SECTOR.

BEIJING, Oct 2 Asia Pulse - Some positive changes took place in China's banking sector in the first half of this year, mainly in the three aspects of loan maturity structure, directions of loans and mix of income, according to a report published by the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC).

-- Structure of loan term

In the six months, short-term loans outgrew long- and medium-term loans, with the former accounting for 52 per cent of the total and that of long- and medium-term loans 45.4 per cent of the total. New short-term loans in the period hit 1,132.5 billion yuan (US$143.3 billion), and new long- and short-term loans came to 1,048 billion yuan.

-- Directions of loans

Agriculture, individual consumption and small enterprises got more credits from banks. By the end of June, individual consumption loans outstanding stood at 2,338.5 billion yuan, an increase of 136.4 billion yuan over the beginning of the year, and up 11 per cent year on year. Credits granted to small enterprises by major banks totaled 3,253.6 billion yuan, increasing 217.9 billion yuan over the beginning of the year. The balance of agricultural loans by rural financial institutions was 1,297.2 billion yuan, an ...